Alolan Love
by BigBlue5692
Summary: After three years in the Kanto region, Lillie returns to Alola. Now, her and Sun will become reacquainted as they experience new events together. LightSunShipping (Lillie X Sun)
1. The Return

Meow!" Meowth cried, attempting to wake up Sun. Sun woke up to his family pet Meowth kneading on his chest. He grabbed his signature hat from his side table and placed it on his head.

"Good morning, Meowth," Sun said with a yawn. Today was a special day for him. Three years ago today, Sun had become the first champion of Alola. Since then, he had defended his title against many tough trainers such as Kahuna Hapu, Professor Kukui, Plumeria, and even his good friends Hau and Gladion. His friends and family had a celebration planned for him to celebrate his three year anniversary of becoming Alola's champion.

Not all was happy for him, though. It had also been around three years since he had been able to see Lillie. The first year or so was extremely hard for him. He didn't feel the same when he was exploring and battling without her there. Everything almost felt pointless. Sun eventually adapted and got used to Lillie's absence. He for some reason never wrote to her, thinking that she had moved on from him. He knew that she left for the best of her and her mother, trying to see some bright side to the situation.

Before Lillie left she gave Sun a package, along with her childhood Poke Doll. In it, there was a bunch of pictures of their adventures together. There was also some odds and ends that she had collected as well. She had also given him a picture of her and Nebby from the night she left that she had also wrote a little note on. It read:

"Everyone's smiles shine so brightly. Those smiles led us to so many other people. And those smiles will lead us to a bright future. I'm so glad I got to meet everyone. I'm so glad I got to meet you."

Sun had that hung up right next to his bed as soon as he got it so that he could see it every morning when he woke up. He held those words close to his heart and made sure that he just kept smiling through it all, for Lillie, even though she was gone. He finished getting ready and went into his kitchen for breakfast.

"Good morning, Sweetie," Sun's mom said to her half-awake child. "Are you excited for your special day? I made some French toast to celebrate!" She asked while plating her son's breakfast.

"Good Morning, Mom," Sun said, visibly looking upset. He pulled up a chair to the breakfast bar and quietly started eating.

"Is something wrong, Sun?" His mother asked, seeing his slouched posture and grim face.

"Yeah… I'm fine. Just feeling a little sick," Sun said in between bites of French toast. He finished up breakfast and headed out to Hau'oli City.

Sun was walking through the city. Some of its residents had noticed him and congratulated him on his anniversary. He passed by the Malasada Shop and to nobody's surprise he saw his friend Hau.

"Good morning, Champ!" Hau said grinning, while his mouth was still chewing on his malasada. Sun waved good morning back and headed over to Hau.

"You ready for tonight, big guy?" Hau asked while pulling up a stool for Sun.

"Yeah, definitely," Sun answered while playing with his thumbs. Hau saw that something was up so he gave him one of the treasured malasadas off of his plate.

"Eat up," Hau said. "You've gotta have energy for tonight. After all, you promised that we could battle!"

"Thanks, but I just ate. I've gotta get going," Sun said while exiting the Malasada Shop.

Sun was kicking around pebbles and saw a family of Pikachu and Pichu. They all looked so happy together.

"I hope that I can have that, someday," Sun thought to himself. He sat himself down at the edge of the Marina and skipped some stones onto the ocean. He was thinking about life and what his future was going to be like. He thought about all of his friends, and what they would do.

Specifically he was thinking about Lillie. He thought about how she was doing in Kanto, if she became a trainer, what Pokemon she caught, if she took on the gyms, if she would ever come back, if they would ever see each other again, If he could ever tell her that-

"Sun?!" He heard a cheerful and familiar voice behind him. He got up and turned around.

It was Lillie.

Sun's face immediately lit up like a Charizard's Blast Burn was he saw her. She was still in her "Z-Powered Form" from when they had last seen each other. Her blonde hair was up in a ponytail and the sun was shining on her green eyes. Sun thought that she looked cute as possible. He thought that her eyes were one of her best features, but never mentioned it because he thought that she would find it weird to think.

She had tried to start talking again, "Professor Kukui told me that you were having a celebration today and he told me to come so I-" She was cut off by the tightest hug imaginable. Sun breathed in her familiar scent as he hugged her. Blushing, Lillie hugged him back and smiled.

"I'm so glad you're here," Sun quietly said, while finally letting go.

"So am I," Lillie replied as Sun gazed into her eyes.

There was so much that Sun wanted to tell Lillie. There was so much that Lillie wanted to tell Sun. At that moment, all they wanted to do was be with each other. They gazed into the ocean and rarely even talked. Just being with each other made them feel amazing.

"Welcome back," Sun said to Lillie softly.


	2. Reunited

She was here. She was with him. They were together. Sun couldn't believe that he was actually with Lillie again. Not only in his thoughts and dreams, but they were with each other in reality.

"Hey Lillie," Sun randomly said, "Pinch me so that I know I'm not dreaming." As soon as he finished his sentence he felt the blonde pinch his right arm, immediately followed by a cute giggle that could melt a Magnezone's heart.

"Did that work for you?" Lillie asked with a smile and a wink. All Sun could do was a slight nod of his head in acknowledgement. He had felt like he was paralyzed by a Pikachu's Thunder Wave from the pure sense of unrealness. After the many long years of being separated from Lillie, now being with her again, he hadn't even talked to her yet. There was so many things that he wanted to ask her and tell her, he didn't even know where to start. Then, like Lillie had read his mind like a Mewtwo, she asked him a question.

"S-so," Lillie started her question nervously, "Are you looking forward to tonight, Sun?"

"Definitely! Even more so now that I know that you're here," Sun replied with enthusiasm. His answer caused Lillie to blush.

"Wait, I have something for you," Lillie said while reaching into her bag. It was the same one that she used to carry around Nebby when it was still a Cosmoem.

"So, um, I know that the celebration doesn't start until later, but, um, I got you a gift," Lillie said while handing Sun a neatly wrapped box. When Sun took the box out of Lillie's hands, their fingers briefly touched, causing them to both awkwardly look away. Sun carefully unwrapped his present, not trying to destroy the wrapping paper that Lillie had obviously put time and effort into wrapping. Once he got past the wrapping he opened the box. Inside, there was a hat along with another small and rectangular box. Sun's first thought was to pick up the second box but Lillie quickly stopped him.

"Oh, wait! That one wasn't supposed to be in there," Lillie frantically said while taking the secretive package away.

"Sorry," Lillie said while looking down at her sneaker-clad feet.

"Don't worry about it," Sun replied while taking out the second item in the box. It was a hat, similar to the one he had currently. There were red and yellow stripes along the bottom of the bill, while the top of the hat's bill was a solid orange. The hat itself was a deep red all around with an Ultra Ball on the front.

"Wow, this is awesome!" Sun exclaimed while replacing the hat that was already on his head with his newly gifted one.

"Thanks so much, Lillie," Sun said to his friend.

"You're welcome, I'm glad you like it. After all, you've had that other one for years now," Lillie responded happily. She was so glad that Sun liked her gift. She had got it years ago in Kanto because it reminded her of him. She thought that it would make a nice gift since it was his style.

"Yo, Sun! I thought I saw you come-" Hau cut himself off when he saw who Alola's champ was standing next to.

Hau began rambling off, "Lillie, is that you?! Did you get my letters? I've missed you so much! It's been so weird with you gone, yesterday I stopped by the professor's house and-"

Lillie, seeing that they would be here for an eternity if she didn't make an attempt to quiet Hau, cut him off, "Yes Hau, I've received your abundance of letters. I've missed you too."

"It's good to see you again, Hau," Lillie said while she went over to give her friend a hug. When Sun saw Lillie hug somebody that wasn't him it made him jealous.

Trying to speed up the moment, Sun interrupted, "How about we all head over to Iki Town and see if he can help with setting up for the celebration?" The other two nodded in agreement with Sun's statement. The three newly reunited friends headed towards Route 1 and passed by Sun's home on the way there. While they were passing by, Sun's mom was outside harvesting vegetables for a meal she was making for tonight. She saw them and figured that she would say a quick hello.

"Hi boys, and hello Lillie. It's been too long!" Sun's mother said while petting the family Meowth. Sun was surprised that his mother wasn't phased at all by Lillie's presence.

"Hello, it's good to see you again," Lillie replied with her signature closed-eye smile.

Sun's mom saw that they were going somewhere so she tried to get one last comment in quickly, "When Professor Kukui told me that you were going to be coming back today I was so excited. Especially for Sun. He's always talking about you and asking me if I knew if you would ever come back."

"Mom!" Sun quickly intervened, "I don't say that, stop making stuff up!" Seeing her son's embarrassed face, she simply nodded and waved as they ventured onward to Route 1. Lillie tried to not think too much of what Sun's mother had said. After all, Lillie had had her own personal experience with mothers saying (and doing) confusing things.


	3. Assistance

Sun, Lillie, and Hau had just arrived in Iki Town where they were greeted with a familiar voice.

"Yo, cousins! How's it going?" Professor Kukui shouted while waving them over in the distance. The three friends headed over to Alola's professor and said hello.

"Hello, professor!" Lillie said happily while Kukui's Rockruff dashed over to her. When Lillie lived with the professor years ago, Rockruff would always follow her around the house and keep her company when the professor would leave for what he called "Life-Altering Adventures," which were mostly just quick trips to the supermarket. Needless to say, Rockruff was happy to see a friend after such a long time apart.

"Ruff!" Rockruff barked in excitement.

"And hello to you too, Rockruff!" Lillie responded while bending down to pet the loyal pup.

"Glad to see you made it here in one piece, Lillie," Professor Kukui said with a smile.

"Thank you for telling be about the celebration, professor," Lillie said while standing back up after petting Rockruff, "I'm so glad that I was able to make it on such a short notice."

"And congrats on three years of making sure nobody is better than you, Sun!" Kukui said to the champion of Alola.

"Thank you, Professor Kukui!" Sun replied. He then looked over to Hau who was snacking on a Malasada, and then breaking off pieces to feed nearby Pikipek. Hau had given Sun so many question to ask. If there's anything Sun had learned it was that Hau would always leave him with more questions than answers.

"Umm… Hau," Lillie started off her question, "Is it really a good idea to feed wild Pokemon malasadas?"

"Of course it's okay! I feed my Incineroar malasadas all the time and he loves them!" Hau answered with a big smile.

Lillie had put on her signature pouty face as a reaction to Hau's answer to her question. Sun recalled how whenever he would say something sarcastic to her she would always make that face. He found it so adorable that sometimes he would try to annoy her intentionally just to see that face. Of course, Sun never actually told her that.

Then, Kukui's wife Professor Burnet had appeared from behind her husband. As soon as she saw Lillie she immediately rushed over to give her a hug, just like almost everyone else did. Lillie was able to captivate nearly everyone that met her.

"It's so good to see you again Lillie!" Burnet said to Lillie while giving her a hug and a kiss on the top of her head. Burnet was like a mother to Lillie for those years, so it felt a like a mother being reunited with her lost child.

"I'd bet that isn't the first kiss you've received while being back in Alola," Burnet said to Lillie with a wink.

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" Lillie questioned while sounding nervous and defensive.

"You know what I mean," Burnet said while making a heart shape with her hands. She then moved her hands up and looked at Sun and Lillie through it. Sun turned his head to look at Lillie and see her reaction, but she was already looking down at the ground kicking dirt, trying to hide the red blush that covered her entire face.

"So, um, do you guys need any help?" Sun asked the two professors.

"Well, we planned on making a fireplace but _somebody_ forgot to get the firewood," Burnet said while glaring towards her husband. Kukui was trying to pretend that he didn't hear anything so that he didn't have to go out and get firewood.

"I can help with that!" Sun said enthusiastically.

"Great, there's some down by my lab!" Professor Kukui said with a sigh of relief, knowing that he had been relieved of his duty.

"Why don't you go help him out, big guy?" Burnet asked with a smirk.

"Well.. Um… I think that our champ can handle this small task on his own, right!?" Kukui nervously claimed, hoping that Sun would follow along. Sun simply nodded back, knowing that Kukui would feel like he was just granted access to heaven.

"H-hey, Sun, do you think that I could come with you? I know that you're really strong- I mean I know that you probably don't need me but if I could come along too that'd be pretty cool if you want me to," Lillie tried asking Sun if she could tag along in the most flustered way imaginable.

"Sounds great!" Sun simply replied, trying to take the pressure off Lillie.

"Awesome, let's go!" Lillie said with a sudden burst of enthusiasm.

 **[** _ **Outside of Professor Kukui's Lab**_ **]**

"Alright, let's get going," Sun said as he started to gather some firewood. Both of their arms started filling up with wood quickly. Seeing that they would need some help, Sun got an idea.

"Butterfree, Talonflame, come on out!" Sun shouted while throwing out the Pokeballs of two of his reliable Pokemon. His purple-bodied, red-eyed, and white-winged Butterfly Pokemon Butterfree came out. His large, red and gray bird Pokemon Talonflame appeared shortly after. Butterfree, the first Pokemon that Sun had ever caught, immediately recognized Lillie and flew over. When Sun caught her Lillie was right behind him, making battling a little Caterpie a much more stressful task.

"Free, free!" Butterfree happily cried when seeing Lillie.

"Hello, Berry!" Lillie responded while patting her on the head. Berry was one of the many cute nicknames that Lillie had given to many of Sun's Pokemon.

"Can you guys help us and bring some of this firewood over to Iki Town?" Sun asked his Pokemon.

"Talon!" Talonflame squawked in acknowledgement. As Talonflame picked up some firewood and started flying away, Butterfree picked up what it could and started fluttering away as well. Lillie had always admired Sun because of how much he loved his Pokemon, and how much his Pokemon loved him in return.

"I'm gonna grab these last pieces and then we'll-" Sun's sentence was cut off as he tripped over a tree root that he didn't see.

"Sun!" Lillie yelled with a sense of urgency while running over to him, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think I'll survive," Sun said while trying to get up. What he didn't know was that when he fell he had cut the entire back of his right arm. Lillie, seeing this, put her soft hands on his shoulders and urged him to stay down. Sun looked at his arm and saw the wound. Trying to remain calm and look tough in front of Lillie, he tried to brush it off as nothing.

"I'm okay, really, now let's start heading back Lillie," Sun insisted.

"Nonsense, just wait a second," Lillie said while looking through her bag, "Here it is! I always keep a mini First Aid Kit with me just in case." She held up Sun's arm while cleaning off the damaged area that had been infected with dirt and sand.

"Now hold still, Sun," Lillie calmly said. She took disinfectant and rubbed it on his arm. With her hands still wrapped around Sun's arm, she waited a few seconds for the stinging on Sun's arm from the chemicals to subside. Then, she reached for a Band-Aid and carefully put it on Sun. The entire time Sun was gazing at Lillie, not talking at all. Whenever he was with Lillie he always felt safe and comfortable. She just had that kind of vibe. Once the Band-Aid was completely on Lillie quickly and playfully kissed his arm, like a mother would to her kid. That caused Sun to blush a bit. He had always wanted to kiss Lillie. In a way, he just got that. Lillie then helped Sun up and winked at him.

"You've gotta be in peak form tonight, champ. After all, I heard you've got a battle with the Malasada Man," Lillie playfully said. "Malasada Man" was a pretty self-explanatory nickname that they came up with for their friend Hau.

"Thanks a lot Lillie. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you," Sun said looking into Lillie's green eyes.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that I'm able to be with you again. Those three years were rough," Lillie said back to Sun.

"So, um, they're probably waiting for us… We should probably hurry back," Sun said to Lillie.

"Yeah, let's hurry up. Last one there's a rotten Exeggcute!" Lillie yelled giggling while running back to Iki Town.

"Hey, no fair! You got a head start!" Sun playfully yelled back while laughing and chasing after Lillie.

" _She's awesome,"_ Sun thought to himself.

" _He's amazing,"_ Lillie thought to herself.


	4. Night of Champions

"There you guys are! We've been waiting for you," Hau said as he saw Sun and Lillie coming back with wood for the fire. While Sun and Lillie were gone, Hau and the professors were able to get mostly everything done.

Plenty of people started to arrive as well. Trial Captains Mallow, Kiawe, Lana, and Acerola were all there. Akala Island's Kahuna Olivia was also present, along with former Melemele Island Kahuna Hala. Hala stepped down from being a Kahuna along with a member of Alola's Elite Four a little over a year ago. Hau was selected by Tapu Koko to take over as Melemele's Kahuna. Of course, Sun's mother was also at the celebration.

"Thanks for your help guys," Sun said to his Butterfree and Talonflame as he returned them to their Pokeballs.

Sun and Lillie set down the firewood right by where the fireplace was being started. As Sun was getting up, he felt somebody reach for his shoulder.

"Congratulations, Sun!" Mallow said while squeezing Sun tightly. Sun, not hugging back, looked over to Lillie who was looking away. Mallow then saw who Sun was with, and then said hello.

"Lillie? I didn't know you would be here. I thought you left," Mallow questioned in a condescending tone.

"Oh, hello Mallow. I came back because-" Lillie tried to reply but Mallow cut her off.

"No need to explain yourself," Mallow cut her off with.

"And Sun, come see me later. I have a special present for you," Mallow said as she skipped away with a wink.

" _Is Mallow Sun's girlfriend? Are they dating?"_ Lillie thought to herself.

"Um, Sun, I'll be right back," Lillie quickly said to Sun while swiftly walking away.

Sun, a bit flustered, finished setting down the wood and went over to say hello to his friends. While people were chatting for a while, Sun's mom finished setting the table with food. She, along with the help of Professor Burnet, prepared salads, pastas, soups, and sandwiches. All of which were Sun's favorites.

"Food's ready!" Sun's mom shouted. Immediately, all of the guests came stampeding over like a herd of Bouffalant.

"Wow, everything looks great, Mom. Thanks!" Sun said with a smile.

"You're welcome sweetie, eat up!" She said back.

"I'll enjoy every bite," Sun replied looking away, "I just have to go do something first." He grabbed a couple pieces of bread and headed off to where Lillie went.

"Sun not eating food as soon as possible? Is this really happening?" Sun's mother said while walking over to Burnet.

"Wherever he went must be for something pretty special," Burnet answered.

 **[** _ **Away from the celebration**_ **]**

" _Do I look okay? Is my hair all right? Are these clothes ugly? Am I ugly?"_ Lillie sadly thought to herself. She then grabbed some lip gloss from her bag that her mother had given her and put it on. She looked at her reflection in the water and fixed her hair. She then adjusted her shirt and skirt.

" _Face it Lillie. He has someone. He doesn't need you. You're just his friend,"_ Lillie thought to herself. She sat down, put her elbows on her knees, and buried her face in her arms. A few tears went rolling down her cheeks as she was thinking.

"There you are, Lillie. I was looking for you," Sun said as he spotted Lillie. She had went over and hid behind some trees and bushes. As soon as Lillie heard him she quickly wiped the tears off of her face.

"O-oh, hey Sun," Lillie said in between sniffles.

"Are you crying?" Sun asked as he went down to Lillie.

"No!" Lillie replied brashly. She couldn't let Sun know that she was upset.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell," She quickly apologized.

"The food's ready. I brought you some because I figured by the time we got back there wouldn't be much left," Sun said as he handed Lillie a piece of bread.

"Oh, thank you," Lillie said as she took the food from Sun's hand, still staying on the ground.

"Is something wrong? I've known you long enough so that when you make that pouty face I know something's up," Sun asked with a bit of concern in his voice.

"Everything's good," Lillie said as she got up, "Let's just go back." Lillie got up and tried her best not to make eye contact with Sun, as her eyes were still a bit teary. Sun followed her back, trying to keep a respectable distance.

 **[** _ **Back at the celebration**_ **]**

As Sun was eating his food, he couldn't help but keep looking over at Lillie who was sitting far away from him. He wanted to say something to her, but he didn't know what. Lillie was always there for him and he wanted to be there for her. He needed something to take his mind off of the situation. And on command, someone was there to help him.

"So Sun, I've eaten and I'm ready for our battle. Are you?" Hau asked Sun.

"Yeah, let's do it," Sun replied.

"Great, my gramps said that he'll ref the battle. We can each use three Pokemon," Hau explained to Sun.

Sun knew exactly what three Pokemon he would use. He was going to send out his starter Pokemon Primarina, his Big-Hearted Pokemon Stoutland, and his Tsareena that he caught in the Lush Jungle. Sun headed out to the center of Iki Town where there was a spot designated for battling. Sun and Hau had battled her at the start of their journies.

"Hey Sun! This is just an exhibition battle, so when I beat you you'll still be the champion," Hau playfully shouted to Sun.

"You couldn't beat my Pokemon and I if we had our limbs tied behind our backs," Sun said back. Lillie couldn't help but watch Sun battle. The indestructible trust between him and his Pokemon always amazed her. She was right behind Sun for his Grand Trial against Kahuna Olivia, and Lillie could tell from just that one battle that him and his Pokemon had the potential to become champions.

Hala started to announce the rules, "Each battler will be able to use three Pokemon. The winner will be decided once a side has no usable Pokemon. Let's battle!"

Sun looked at his Pokeball and with no doubt selected his leadoff Pokemon, "Stoutland, I choose you!"

"Grr ruff ruff," Stoutland cried as it was ready for battle.

"Go, Raichu!" Hau shouted as he threw out his Pokeball.

"Chu!" Raichu squeaked as it appeared.

"All right Raichu, use Focus Blast!" Hau commanded.

"Dodge it and use Crunch!" Sun countered.

 _*Whoosh!*_

The attack flew right past Stoutland as the dog Pokemon went in for a Crunch. The attack was super effective on Raichu, causing it to faint immediately. Sun and Stoutland had put a lot of vigorous training into making Stoutland a dangerous attacker, so it was no surprise to them when Raichu went down in one turn.

"Sun's one talented trainer," Kukui said to Lillie.

"Yeah… he's perfect," Lillie responded in a daze.

"Well I don't think he's _that_ great of a battler, Lillie!" Kukui said back to her.

"Oh, no! I just meant that-" Lillie tried to explain herself but the professor has so focused on the battle that he didn't hear her.

"Rest up, Raichu," Hau said while returning his Mouse Pokemon to its ball, "Now come on out, Incineroar!"

Hau's starter Pokemon popped out of its Pokeball.

"Okay Incineroar, use Flare Blitz!" Hau yelled. The big fiery Pokemon went straight for Stoutland and did a big chunk of damage. However, Incineroar took some recoil damage from the move.

"C'mon Stoutland, use Rock Tomb!" Sun yelled with passion. Stoutland, using all of the power it could muster up, landed a critical hit on its opponent.

"Great job buddy!" Sun said with encouragement.

"Ruff!" Stoutland replied, still showing some strength.

"Go Sun!" Mallow shouted, "Isn't he just amazing?" She then looked over to Lillie with a smug face. Lillie didn't know why Mallow was being so mean to her for no reason.

Lillie, wanting to show support for Sun, cheered him on, "C'mon Sun! You've got this!"

"You didn't tell me that you were bringing a cheerleading squad," Hau joked, "Back to battling, use Flare Blitz again!" Incineroar charged at Stoutland once more, knocking both of them out.

"Smart move," Kukui said, "Hau knew that Incineroar was going to go down soon so he took the opponent down with him."

"He'll still never beat _my_ Sunny!" Mallow responded. Lillie couldn't take much more of Mallows antics. She didn't know if she was being serious or if she was just joking around. All Lillie did was pout and look down.

"Thank you, Stoutland, you did great. Now go, Primarina!" Sun shouted as he threw out his starter Pokemon. Primarina whistled its cry as it appeared on the battlefield. Hala watched as the two trainers battled with their starters. Almost three years ago they were battling in the same spot with the same Pokemon, just now they were smarter and stronger.

"All right Primarina, use Sparkling Aria!" Sun commanded. Primarina shot its damaging bubbles at its opponent. Incineroar somehow survived the super effective attack.

"Use Darkest Lariat!" Hau ordered. Incineroar sent itself spinning at its opponent and had it pinned to the ground. Primarina was in a tough spot and Sun knew that he would have to come up with something quick. Looking up at the moon, he got an idea.

"Primarina, use Moonblast!" Sun shouted. With extra power from the moon, the Soloist Pokemon was able to knock out the Heel Pokemon.

Down to his last Pokemon, Hau threw out his Pokeball, "Let's go, Leafeon!"

"Leafeon, use Leaf Blade," Hau screamed. Leafeon landed the super effective move on Primarina, leaving her with very little HP remaining.

Sun had a two Pokemon left of his own, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"Primarina, finish him them off with an Ice Beam!" Sun ordered. Primarina shot a freezing-cold beam at Leafeon, causing it to faint.

"Hau is out of usable Pokemon. Sun is the winner!" Hala announced.

"Well, I guess you're the champion of Alola for a reason!" Hau said with a toothy grin.

"History has a funny way of repeating itself, doesn't it?" Sun joked while he met at the center of the battlefield with Hau. They shook hands and congratulated each other on a good match. Then they sent out all of their Pokemon so they could enjoy the celebration too. There wouldn't even be a celebration if it wasn't for them.

"Congratulations!" Mallow yelled as she grabbed Sun. As Lillie saw that she started to feel sick. Out of the corner of Sun's eye, he then saw Lillie get up and walk towards him.

" _Let go of me. Let go of me. Let go of me,"_ Sun kept thinking to himself as Lillie walked over. He didn't want her to think that there was anything going on between him and Mallow. Sun quickly separated himself from Mallow, seeing that she wasn't letting go of him anytime soon.

"Good job guys," Lillie said to Sun, Hau, and their Pokemon hoping that she would be heard.

"Thanks Lillie!" Hau happily replied while he pet his Raichu on the top of its head.

"Sun, I feel like we never really got to talk tonight," Lillie said to Sun as she looked into his eyes.

"Sorry," Sun started off, "I just got caught up in all of the food and battling with Hau."

"No, please don't apologize. I-if you aren't really doing anything right now, I'd love to catch up with you. There's so much that we haven't been able to talk about," Lillie said to Sun as she played with her thumbs.

"Let's go to that bench over there," Sun said as he pointed to the location. He then grabbed Lillie's forearm, which caught her by surprise, and brought them over there. They both sat down on the bench and looked off into the sea. The moonlight was reflecting off of it, giving the water a beautiful glow.

Lillie looked at Sun and thought to herself, " _Is this the right time to tell him how I feel?"_

Sun then ended the silence with a question, "So how's your mother doing?"

"Well, she's still recovering but she's a lot better. A man from Kanto named Bill was able to help us out because he had accidentally fused himself with a Pokemon before and found a way to reverse it," Lillie explained.

"That's good to hear," Sun replied.

"So did anything exciting happen when I was gone?" Lillie asked.

"Well, I did save all of Alola, so that was pretty cool," Sun said to the blonde.

"Really!?" Lillie asked with enthusiasm.

"Let me explain. So as you know, the Aether Foundation was studying Ultra Beasts. When your mother opened up the portal, more Beasts started to appear around Alola. I was tasked by the International Police to track them down. Once they were captured we sent them over to Wicke who examined them. After all of the UBs were gone, there was one last creature above Ten Carat Hill that they called "Necrozma". It looked like a giant prism. It reflected light and was pretty scary, but no problem for my Pokemon and I," Sun explained to Lillie.

"Wow, that's so cool! I wish I could have been there," Lillie said to Sun.

"Yeah, me too. You were a really fun traveling companion. I miss all of those adventures we went on together," Sun said.

"Oh, d-do you mean that? I always felt like I was getting in your way and stopping you," Lillie questioned.

"No way! You kept me going, if anything. I probably wouldn't even be the champion if it wasn't for you. So thanks, Lillie!" Sun said with a big smile. Lillie didn't understand what she ever did to deserve Sun as a friend. What did she ever offer to him? Why did he waste his time on her?

"What did I do to deserve you," Lillie said in a serious tone.

"What do you mean?" Sun asked.

"W-well, it's j-just that you helped me so much and I f-feel like I never did anything to help you," Lillie explained as her voice started to crack, "Sometimes I would worry that you would just leave me." Sun immediately slided across the bench to Lillie and gave her a hug. He felt her head fall into his shoulder as he grabbed her.

"I don't know why you'd ever think that Lillie. You're my best friend. I'm so grateful for you and when I saw you again for the first time in years you have no idea how much joy I felt," Sun said to Lillie, trying to console her.

"I'm your b-best friend?" Lillie asked as she looked up into Sun's eyes.

"No question about it," Sun immediately said back to Lillie.

" _This is my chance. I'm not letting it slip away this time,"_ Lillie thought to herself. She looked over at Sun once more. He was staring off into the ocean. She felt her voice start to tremble as she started to talk.

"Sun, I-" Lillie was cut off.

 _*Boom!*_

"Woah!" Sun said as his reaction to the fireworks. He then looked over at Lillie who had a disappointed look on her face.

"Hey, don't we have a celebration to get back to?" Sun asked Lillie.

"Oh, yeah," Lillie responded.

"C'mon!" Sun said. He grabbed Lillie's wrist and brought her over to the center of the town. Professor Kukui was talking to Sun's mother when they got there.

"Yo, Lillie, my dude! I was looking for you. While you were gone, I turned your loft into a totally rad man cave," Kukui told her.

"And since you're going to need somewhere to stay in the meantime," Sun's mother started off, "You're going to stay with us!"

Kukui butted back in, "I'm probably going to need about a week to turn that back into a Lillie-Zone, so say hello to your new roommate! And don't worry, I know a guy who can hook us up with a high quality bed, no questions asked."

"Guess we're roomies!" Lillie said as she looked over to Sun, awkwardly trying to hide her smile.


	5. Roommates

Sun looked up at the sky and saw the moon, which was surrounded by countless stars. It was getting pretty late, and many of the guests were getting visibly tired.

"Hey, mom, it's getting pretty late. I think I'm gonna head home now," Sun said to his mother.

"Oh, okay Sun. I'll be there soon," Sun's mother replied. Sun then went to go up to all of his friends and thank them for coming. As he did, he felt Lillie tap on his shoulder behind him.

"Hey Sun," Lillie started off, "I'm getting pretty tired. I think I'm gonna come with you." Sun nodded back to Lillie with a smile. They finished chatting with their friends and then started to go back home.

Sun and Lillie strolled down the path back to Sun's home. The route was pretty dark, but there was just enough light from the moon and the stars to light up their path. Some Rattata were eating berries by a tree and there were also some Wingull flying above them.

"Thanks for letting me stay with you, Sun. Especially on such a short notice," Lillie said as she kept looking down the road.

"Don't worry about it. If anyone, you should be thanking that mystery bed supplier," Sun said back.

"I just hope that Professor's idea of a bed isn't just some twigs and leaves gathered from outside," Lillie said as she giggled at Sun's response.

They were nearing their destination, which the knew as they saw the lights coming from Hau'oli City. Sun and Lillie walked through the last bits of tall grass and berry piles on the way home, until they got to the doorsteps. Sun opened the door for Lillie and let her in first.

"After you," Sun said in a mannerly way.

"Oh, thank you," Lillie said as a response to Sun's gesture.

They both stepped inside and were greeted by Meowth. Sun reached down to pet him and took out Meowth's food. He poured it into a bowl and Meowth started to gobble it right up immediately.

"Oh, here," Sun said as he guided Lillie to the room they would be sharing. He flipped the light switch on and was shook.

"How's that even possible?!" Sun said in shock. Someway, somehow, there was a second bed that had seemingly appeared out of thin air.

"Well, I guess Professor Kukui wasn't joking around," Lillie said in disbelief. Sun went over to the bed and looked under it to make sure that it wasn't a trap. He then sat on it, expecting it to fall apart. It felt more comfortable than his own bed. It was definitely better than the sofa bed that Lillie had to use in previous years.

"I'm gonna go finish cleaning up the kitchen. I'll be back soon, Lillie," Sun said to his new roommate.

"Okay, I'm gonna get changed into my pajamas," Lillie said to Sun as he shut his door behind him.

Lillie started to look around Sun's room. It wasn't an absolute Tepig-pen, but it wasn't perfectly clean either. It was somewhere in between, which was pretty normal for boys Sun's age. She then went over to the other side of the room where Sun slept. She saw something that grabbed her eye, and kneeled up on his bed to get a closer look. It was the picture that she gave him when she left for Kanto three years ago. The picture had been hung up right next to his bed.

"He kept this? After all of these years he still has this?" Lillie thought to herself. She gazed into the picture more, specifically at Nebby. Without Nebby, there's no way that Lillie would have ever ended up in Alola where and when she did. She would have never met everyone. She would have never met Sun.

*Creek*

"You're still not changed Lillie? I guess my dad was right when he said that girls take forever," Sun said as he entered the room. When he walked in, Lillie was on his bed.

"Hey! I could've been changing you know!" Lillie yelled defensively, obviously embarrassed by the situation that Sun had found her in.

"Oh, sorry. I just forgot my pajamas. I'll knock next time," Sun said in an apologetic tone. He went over to his closet to get his clothes, and then left.

"Dammit Sun! How could you forget to knock?" Sun thought to himself as he shut the door on the way out.

"Really, Lillie? You just had to snap at him like that? He's kind enough to share a room with you and you just yell at him? So pathetic," Lillie thought to herself as Sun shut the door.

"Well, Sun's right. I should just hurry up and get changed," Lillie said to herself. She reached into her backpack to pull out the pajamas that she had brought. Like most of the clothes she wore, they were mostly white in color. She slipped into her aqua shorts, and then she pulled her white T-shirt, that was simple but cute, over her head.

Once she finished changing, she tried to sneak back over to Sun's bed. It wasn't like Lillie to be nosy, but she was a girl on a mission. That mission was to snoop around Sun's belongings for no practical reason. She got on the floor and looked under Sun's bed. Underneath the bed there were old candy wrappers, action figures, and some suggestive magazines that had been stealthily hidden between some old issues of Nintendo Power. Lillie kept shifting around his belongings until she found a box. She slid it out and opened it. Inside, there was a bunch of things that they had collected on their journey together. There was the amulet from his Island Trials, various small trinkets, some pictures, and a book.

Lillie's eyes immediately set on the book. She slid the box back under the bed and skipped over to her bed. She plopped down and read the first page. It read:

"Sun's Diary (THIS IS FOR THE VIEWING OF SUN ONLY)"

"Well… A quick read couldn't hurt," Lillie thought to herself. She randomly opened up to a page and started reading it:

"Today I got my first Pokemon. Its name is Popplio. The Kahuna of Melemele Island gave her to me, along with this kid Hau. He chose Litten as his starter. He seems like a pretty weird guy, but I'm sure I'll grow to like him. He keeps talking about these things called "malasadas". Is that code for drugs? I hope not. There's also this cute girl named Lillie. She has this thing that she calls "Nebby". I saved it and then I was saved by some strange looking creature. Lillie also doesn't like Pokemon battles. I hope that I can become better friends with these people. They're all really cool and friendly."

Lillie looked at the date and realized how old this entry is. It's true that time flies when you're going on adventures. She thought that it was so cute that Sun kept a diary with him. She then skimmed it over another time.

"He called me cute?" Lillie thought to herself as she reread Sun's private entry. She then flipped to the another page, almost without thought, and set her eyes on the next words. This entry was from when he took on Olivia's Grand Trial. It read:

"Today I cleared Akala Island's Grand Trial against Kahuna Olivia. She even gave me a Rock Z-Crystal for defeating her. My Pokemon and I were working together great. My new friend Lillie was even there to cheer me on. It felt kind of weird being with a girl, though. But Lillie is kind of different I guess. She's just really kind and-"

*Knock-knock-knock!*

"Oh no!" Lillie said to herself as she heard Sun knock on the door.

"Hey, can I come in Lillie?" Sun politely asked, obviously trying not to slip up again.

"Um, yeah!" Lillie frantically replied. She quickly realized that she was still holding Sun's diary and shoved it under her pillow.

"Alright," Sun said as he opened the door, "My mom made some cookies earlier and we have some left. Want some?"

"Thanks!" Lillie said with a smile as she went over to take a cookie from the plate Sun was holding.

Sun then placed down the plate on his side table, of course not until he took one for himself. The two young teens were enjoying their cookies as they were lying in their beds. Sun then looked over to the clock and was surprised when he saw the time.

"It's already 11:30?!" Sun said in surprise.

"Time flies when you're having fun!" Lillie said smiling.

"Well, I'm beat," Sun said with noticeable exhaustion in his voice, "Hey, do you need anything else?"

"Well, as good as this bed is for something that magically appeared, this pillow feels kinda hard," Lillie replied.

"Oh, I think I have an extra in my closet. Hold on one sec, Lillie," Sun said as he went over to the closet.

Lillie then went to move her pillow, when she was reminded of why her pillow felt so uncomfortable. Sun's diary was still under there. She couldn't let Sun know that she read his diary. She thought that he would hate her for it. Sun then came back with a new pillow, which put Lillie into fight-or-flight mode.

"You know what, Sun? I'm actually fine. I just had to fluff it," Lillie said while quickly brushing Sun's hand away from her pillow.

"C'mon Lillie, there's no such thing as too much pillows!" Sun playfully said as he once again reached for Lillie's pillow.

"No, really! I'm fine!" Lillie said a bit more forcefully, "Now didn't you just say that you felt like a Slakoth? Let's just get into our beds," Lillie said as she grabbed Sun by the arm and brought him over to his bed.

"Hey, my legs work fine you know," Sun said to Lillie. Lillie disregarded his comment and just rushed back over to her bed.

Lillie, trying to change the subject, brought up a question, "Did your mom say when she was getting back?"

"She said that she would be back soon," Sun replied.

Lillie knew that Sun was ready to fall asleep any second, but she wanted to get the most out of her stay with him. Then, she thought of something that would earn her his attention for sure.

"Hey, come over here," Lillie said to Sun, "I wanna show you something." Sun went over to Lillie's bed and stood up next to where she was sitting.

"Sit down, silly," Lillie playfully said with a wink as she made room for Sun. She then reached into her backpack and pulled out a case. She opened it up and there were two shiny gym badges inside. They were the Boulder Badge and the Cascade Badge that she obtained in Kanto.

"I got these when I was in Kanto, what do you think?" Lillie asked Sun.

"Does this mean that you became a Pokemon Trainer!?" Sun asked with a glimmer in his eyes.

"Yep!" Lillie proudly said.

"That's so cool! Tell me everything!" Sun yelled with excitement. Lillie had a feeling that Sun would be excited to see her become a trainer, but she didn't think he'd be this into it.

"Well, around the last year or so when I was in Kanto, Bill told me that I should consider becoming a trainer. He said that it would be good to learn how to raise a team of Pokemon and that it would be a good opportunity to explore the Kanto region."

"Who was your first Pokemon, Lillie?" Sun asked with an intrigued tone in his voice.

"I was just gonna get there Sun, so hush!" Lillie jokingly said, "Professor Oak in Pallet Town contacted Bill saying that she had three Pokemon for me to choose from. I went there and he had three Pokeballs set out on a table."

"You got to meet Professor Oak? He was my childhood idol," Sun said.

"Yeah, he's really nice. I will admit however that it was weird to see a professor that was fully clothed for once, though," Lillie added, "Anyway, when he showed who my three choices were I knew exactly who I was going to choose."

"Who was it?" Sun asked.

"I chose Squirtle! He's really cute and squishy and really enjoys to swim around in Cerulean City, which is where my mother and I stayed. I also chose him because he's a water-type, just like your first Pokemon Popplio. And well… I figured if my first Pokemon was similar to who you chose, I would have a better chance of becoming a great trainer like you did," Lillie mentioned with a blush.

"That's really cool. I'd bet you're a really strong trainer," Sun said to Lillie as he was examining her Gym Badges.

"Yeah, well I only have two badges so I'm obviously not that great. And I've only caught one Pokemon, she's a Vulpix by the way, so I've still got a lot to learn," Lillie said as a way to brush off Sun's compliment.

"Since I finished my Island Trials I've wanted to take on Gym Leaders," Sun said.

"Well being the champion I don't see why you can't," Lillie said with a wink, "When I go back I can tell the professor all about you." As Sun heard those last words he was hit with reality: Lillie wasn't going to be here with him forever.

"When do you have to go back?" Sun asked with a sense of gloom in his voice.

"Oh, don't worry Sun. I'm not leaving anytime soon. After all, I just got back!" Lillie responded in an attempt to cheer Sun up.

"I know, b-but when you left a few years ago everything had seemed so s-sudden. It s-seemed like everything was coming together and you were gone just like that," Sun said as he held back a few tears. Lillie, seeing that Sun wasn't feeling so great, scooted across her bed to be closer to him and put her hand on his lap.

"I didn't want to leave either, Sun. But I didn't have a choice My mom needed my help and I couldn't be here for much longer until I was able to become myself. And when I went to Kanto, I learned how to defend myself. I learned how to deal with situations and be a better person without the help of others. And now that I know what I'm capable of, I feel right being back here in Alola. So when I do leave again, it will be for good reasons. And even though I won't be leaving soon, I promise that I'll give you the heads-up as soon as I can. And it won't be for long either. My mom's been feeling a lot better recently, so I can gladly say that our time apart won't be as long. Think of it as me sealing the envelope. I just have to take care of a few things there and then I'll be right back here in Alola, Sun," Lillie reassuringly said to Sun.

"But why didn't I get to know you were leaving last time?" Sun asked.

"Well, the truth is I didn't think I'd be able to. I thought about telling you the night you became champion, but I didn't want to spoil the mood. And really, I wouldn't have been able to tell all of you because it would hurt too much emotionally. All of the memories that have been made here, they're just so amazing. And the bonds that I've made with all of my friends here, they're unbreakable. So at the time, when I was as unsure of my future as anybody, I wouldn't have been able to. And not knowing if I'd ever see Professor Kukui wreck his house with his Pokemon, or see Hau chow down on malasadas, or see your face again, I just couldn't do it. So I'm really sorry if you thought that I was just tired of you guys," Lillie explained.

"No, I get it," Sun said to Lillie. Lillie again looked over to Sun who was looking down at the ground. She then twirled around her thumbs and opened her mouth.

"Hey, I think we've had enough soul-baring for one night. And your mom's probably gonna get home soon so it'd be weird if she saw us like this. How about we just get some sleep?" Lillie suggested to Sun.

"Yeah, good idea. Sleep is always good," Sun said as he got up and went over to his bed. Lillie forgot that Sun had a bed of his own to get back to. Her bed almost felt empty when Sun got up. As Sun got into his bed and went to adjust his pillow, he remembered something.

"Hey Lillie. Catch!" Sun said as he tossed something pink her way. Lillie then looked down at what she had caught and immediately felt happy.

"My Poke Doll! You… you actually kept this?" Lillie said in an almost surprised tone.

"Of course I did. I'd never get rid of something you gave me," Sun said back to Lillie. Lillie could confirm that, as when she was snooping around Sun's belongings she saw all of the stuff that they had collected.

"Good night, Sun. I'll see you in the morning," Lillie yawned as she hugged her Poke Doll.

"Good night, Lillie," Sun said back. He then turned off the lights and set his head on his pillow.

"What a day," Sun thought to himself. Lillie rolled over in bed and lifted up her pillow. She took Sun's diary and put it under her bed. She then squeezed the Poke Doll in an adorable fashion and sighed.

"Sweet dreams," She quietly said as she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey guys! Sorry if this one took a while to get out to you all. As of the time I'm typing this, we've got 34 followers (which I think is super cool)! I really do mean it when I say that I appreciate all of the kind reviews that are left here. It's nice because I get to see what you all think of my work and what you all want to see next. It feels good to know that people out there appreciate my stuff. I'm having more and more fun each chapter I put out, and I hope you guys are enjoying these as much as I do. Always feel free to message me to chat about my stories, Pokemon, or just life in general. Thank you all for your continued support and stay tuned for more adventures in Alola soon!**

 **Joey :)**

 **P.S. I don't really have an official schedule for when I write stories and publish them, so please bear with me on my random updates  
**


	6. Beach Day

" _Hey Lillie?"_

" _Yeah?"_

" _There's… Something I have to tell you."_

" _What is it?"_

" _Well, um…"_

" _C'mon Sun, you know you can tell me anything."_

" _Lillie, I love you."_

" _I… I love you too Sun."_

…

"Lillie, are you alright?" Sun asked the half-asleep girl.

"Hmm?" Lillie moaned in a tired manner.

"I saw you rolling around in your bed and I thought maybe you were having a bad dream," Sun said.

"Oh, sorry to wake you up," Lillie said as she popped up from her bed, Poke Doll in her arms.

"Don't worry, I was already up. I'm gonna go take a quick shower," Sun said.

"Okay, see you soon," Lillie said back as Sun walked out of the room. She stretched and let out a big yawn as she looked out the window. The Sun was shining and the Pikipek were chirping, which always meant it would be a good day in Alola. Lillie then looked down at herself and put her hands on her face.

"Why couldn't that dream be real?" She said to herself, "Maybe one day, but not today." She then got up and started to make her bed. She pulled up her covers and tucked in the corners. She then fluffed her pillow and put it on top. Lillie turned around and noticed that Sun's bed was pretty messy.

"Well, I hope he doesn't mind if I fix up his bed for him," Lillie said as she went over to Sun's bed. She pulled up his covers and fluffed his pillow with care. Once she finished, she took the pillow that Sun had slept on and brought it up to her face.

"It smells just like him. Warm, calming…" Lillie said to herself as she smelled the pillow. She then brought his pillow over to her bed and switched it with her own.

"This seems better," Lillie said as she looked at her newly-improved bed, "And maybe Sun will like his better now, too." Lillie walked out of the room and went into the kitchen. She noticed a Post-It Note that was left on the kitchen counter. She went over to go read it.

" _Sun and Lillie, I left to go run some errands and I'll be back soon. There's some cereal in the pantry and milk in the fridge so help yourselves!"_

Lillie went over to the pantry and pulled out a box of _Cap'n Crunch_ , which just so happened to be her favorite cereal, along with a bowl and spoon. She then went to the fridge to pull out the milk. She picked it up and noticed that it was almost empty.

" _Sun might want some cereal too… I better save him some milk,"_ Lillie thought to herself. She left the milk in the fridge and walked to the breakfast bar to eat her dry cereal. Lillie was happily enjoying her cereal when the bathroom door opened.

"Hey," Sun started off, "It's really nice out today. Wanna go to the beach?"

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Lillie said with excitement as she swayed her feet.

"Cool, I'm gonna go get changed. There's a fresh towel and shampoo in there If you wanna shower," Sun added.

"Thanks, I'll get right in," Lillie responded. She finished up her breakfast and put her bowl in the dishwasher. She then skipped over to the bathroom to take a shower. Sun went into their room and put on his bathing suit, along with a T-shirt. Sun then went to go get himself some breakfast. He poured his cereal and then went over to the fridge to get some milk.

"Awesome, just enough left," Sun said to himself as he splashed his cereal with milk. He ate his cereal while thinking about all that they could do today. As he took his last bites he hopped off the stool and put on the news channel.

"As many of you know the Alola Bowl was last night, which featured the Talonflames and the Braviaries in an exciting matchup. The Talonflames were up 28-3 at one point, but the Braviaries were able to put up 31 unanswered points to win it all in overtime," The news anchor said, "Now let's see what's going on in your neck of the woods."

"Sunny skies today, which makes it a perfect day for a swim. It'll get a little windy tonight but otherwise expect it to be hot out," The weatherman explained.

Lillie finished her shower and stepped out. She dried herself off and went to go grab her clothes, but there was one problem: She forget them in their room.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no…" Lillie said under her breath in panic, "Relax, Lillie. He's not going to see you. Just be quick." Lillie swiftly opened the door and dashed into the room faster than a hungry Munchlax that had spotted some berries. Luckily, Sun's eyes were fixed on the TV.

As soon as she closed the door she let out a relieved sigh. Lillie reached into her bag to pull out a bathing suit. It was all white with a skirt-like bottom. She tried adjusting it to make it look better, but eventually gave up.

" _I look terrible…"_ Lillie said to herself. She had plenty of reasons to feel insecure about herself, especially because of the mean things that her mother used to say. She reached into her bag again to pull out a long blue T-Shirt, and then put it over her head.

"That's better," Lillie said with a smile. She then exited the room and went over to Sun.

"You ready Lillie?" Sun asked.

"Yep!" Lillie responded.

"Great, let's get going. I packed some drinks and snacks for us to have when we get there," Sun said as he pointed to the bag he was holding. They put on their flip flops, went out the door and started walking to the beach. Lillie stopped Sun and grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey, how about we go and see if Hau wants to come?" Lillie asked.

"Sure!" Sun said as they headed over to Iki Town to find Hau. When they arrived, they saw him in the center with two Team Skull grunts. Hau saw them and waved.

"Hey guys! What's up?" The always energetic Hau asked.

"Why are you hanging around Team Skull?" Sun asked.

"Oh, these guys? They're not a part of Team Skull anymore. I'm teaching them how to become strong Pokemon trainers!"

"Aww that's so nice of you! Anyways, Sun and I are going to the beach. Do you wanna come?" Lillie asked.

"Yeah, that sounds fun! Let's go!" Hau said as he started to leave.

"Uh, don't you have to change first?" Sun asked.

"Anything's a bathing suit if you try hard enough," Hau said back.

"O-okay," Lillie said in confusion, "Well, let's get going then!" The three friends headed off to the Hau'oli City Beachfront. As they arrived in the city, they were greeted by bustling crowds and busy people.

"Let's go this way guys, it'll be much quicker!" Hau said as he redirected Sun and Lillie to a less-crowded path. They followed the green-haired boy and eventually made it to the sand of the beach.

"Good job navigating through there, Hau. I guess malasadas are good for eyesight!" Lillie joked. Sun put down the bag that he was carrying and put three beach towels on the sand. He then looked up at the Sun and saw how bright it was shining. So to make things easier on his eyes, he put his hat on.

"Woah! That's a cool hat! Where'd you get that?" Hau asked in wonder.

"Lillie gave it to me," Sun said as he looked over to Lillie. Lillie was a bit caught off guard by the sudden attention that was put on her.

"Oh, don't forget to put on sunscreen, guys! It's not fun having a bad sunburn," Lillie helpfully reminded the two boys. Sun took out his bottle of lotion and put it on, then gave the bottle to Hau. Lillie reached into her bag to get some lotion and began to put it on.

"Hey Sun, could you please help me put this on my back?" Lillie politely asked as she lifted up the back of her shirt.

"Umm, yeah," Sun said as he was a little flustered. He took some of the lotion and rubbed it on Lillie's back. Her skin was really smooth, like an Eevee's freshly groomed fur.

"All good!" Sun said as he finished.

"Thanks!" Lillie happily said as she kicked off her flip flops, "I really missed this when I was in Kanto,"

"The beach?" Sun asked.

"Yeah, but also being with you guys," Lillie quietly said.

"Me too," Sun added. There was silence as Sun and Lillie gazed off into the ocean, until Hau interrupted it.

"You know what I miss? Being in the water! C'mon Sun, I'll race you there!" Hau said as he sprinted to the ocean.

"You have to say we're racing before you take off, Hau!" Sun yelled as he ran to the ocean. Sun then turned around and saw that Lillie was already lying down on the beach towel.

"Don't you have a race to run?" Lillie asked Sun.

"Whatever, it's the only thing he could beat me in anyway" Sun joked, "So are you gonna come with us?" Lillie looked down at herself and didn't answer his question.

"Lillie?" Sun asked again.

"Umm, yeah. I'll be there soon Sun," Lillie quietly said.

"Alright. We'll be waiting!" Sun said as he ran off. Lillie stood up and looked at her shirt.

" _You're at the beach Lillie. Just take it off, nobody's gonna look at you,"_ Lillie thought to herself as she tried to gain self-confidence. Lillie pulled her T-shirt over her head and placed it on her towel. She then briskly went to the ocean and found Sun and Hau.

"There you are Lillie!" Hau said as he rose up from the water. Hau clearly wasted no time getting soaked.

"Sorry if I took a while. I'm not really used to wearing a bathing suit…" Lillie said with her soft voice.

" _This is your shot to compliment her, Sun,"_ Sun thought to himself. Sun felt his mouth start to open before he was cut off.

"Well you look great Lillie!" Hau said with a big grin.

"Oh, thank you Hau!" Lillie said with a smile and a faint blush. Sun thought that saying anything now would be pointless, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Hey," Hau said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ball, "Wanna play Mankey in the Middle?" Sun and Lillie nodded in agreement.

"Alright, go long Sun!" Hau yelled as he threw the ball to his friend.

 **[** _ **Back on the sand]**_

"Hey, I'm getting pretty hungry. You got any food in that bag Sun?" Hau asked.

"No surprise there. Here, pick something out," Sun joked as he handed the bag over to Hau. Hau reached into the bag and pulled out a bag of _Lay's_ chips.

"You want something, Lillie?" Sun asked.

"No thanks," Lillie quickly responded.

"Are you sure? We haven't eaten since breakfast," Sun mentioned.

"Yep," Lillie replied.

"Alright, suit yourself," Sun said as he took a package of _Goldfish_ out of the bag. Lillie fell back onto her towel and looked up at the sky. There were Wingull flying all over, waiting for some unlucky person to drop some food and then be swarmed by Pokemon. Then, as if she was hit by a Pidgey's Sand-Attack, Lillie got sand kicked into her eyes.

"Ow!" Lillie exclaimed as she felt her eyes stinging from the sand.

"Oh, sorry about that," A girl said in a monotone voice.

"It's… okay," Lillie said, not being able to recognize the girl because she couldn't open her eyes.

"Hi Sun!" The girl said. Sun, who was resting his eyes the entire time, didn't even see what happened.

"Hey Mallow," Sun said as he looked up and saw who the girl was.

"Where did you go at the celebration the other night? You just disappeared! I told you to come see me, remember?" Mallow rambled.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I just got caught up with some other things," Sun responded.

"What's up, Mallow?" Hau asked.

"Hello Lou," Mallow replied.

"It's Hau…" Hau said.

"Of course I know that, silly! I was just messing with you," Mallow said back.

"Sun, I was just with some of my friends. You should come join us!" Mallow said as she extended her arm to Sun.

"Thanks, but I'm with my friends right now. Maybe some other time," Sun replied.

"Oh well, suit yourself. See ya!" Mallow said as she waved and walked away.

"Hey Sun, do I look like a Lou to you? I kinda like that name now," Hau pondered.

"Sure, it sounds great," Sun said. Sun then looked over at Lillie and noticed that she was rubbing both of her eyes with her hands.

"Lillie, what happened?" Sun asked in concern.

"Oh, umm, I just got some sand in my eyes. That's all," Lillie said as she rubbed her eyes even more.

"I know what will help," Sun said as he reached into the bag. He pulled out a napkin and poured some water on it.

"Here, try this," Sun said as he placed the damp napkin on Lillie's eyes, "This usually helps me when I get stuff stuck in my eyes."

"Thanks. It already feels better," Lillie said with a faint smile.

 **[** _ **Later that day on the way home from the beach**_ **]**

"By Hau! Have a good night!" Sun and Lillie said as they waved to Hau as he went into his home.

"I'd say today was a success," Sun said.

"What do you mean?" Lillie asked.

"Well, we got to see someone get their sandwich stolen by a Pelipper which was pretty funny. And the weather was pretty nice. And Hau taught us how to defend ourselves from robbery with only a seashell, which may be helpful in our lives," Sun said.

"True. But I won't need any seashells to protect me when I have you around," Lillie slyly mentioned.

"You'll also have your Pokemon," Sun said in a way to disregard Lillie's comment.

"What would anybody want to steal from me anyways?" Lillie said.

"Your cuteness," Sun said without thought.

" _Sun, you are an idiot. There were so many right options but you picked the wrong one,"_ Sun thought to himself in agony.

"Thank you," Lillie said with a red blush over her face, not knowing how to respond. They arrived at their house and Sun opened the door for them.

" _I hope I can get your cuteness before someone else does,"_ Sun thought.


	7. Valentine's Day

"What a beautiful day in Alola!" Lillie said as she stretched and put her hands on her head. Sun and Lillie were going for a walk through Hau'oli City and there was a special feeling in the air. They were on the sidewalk and near enough to the ocean to be able to clearly see into it.

 _*Splash!*_

Sun and Lillie looked into the water and saw some pink Pokemon swimming around.

"I don't think I've ever seen that Pokemon before," Sun mentioned.

"Hey, why don't you ask your Rotom Dex?" Lillie suggested.

"Good idea," Sun responded as he powered on his Rotom Dex.

" _Bzzzzzzzt! Rotom Dex reporting for duty! What'cha need today, Su-. Lillie, is that you girl? It's been toooooooooo long! Welcome back to the crew of the S.S. Alola! Sun couldn't keep his big mouth shut about you whenever we were alone! It was always 'what'dya think Lillie's doing' this or 'do ya think she remembers us' that. Woo, it feels good to be out of that stuffy bag-"_ Rotom said as if he were getting in his last words until Sun cut him off.

"Rotom!" Sun yelled as he was clearly embarrassed, "Can you just please tell us what those Pokemon in the water are?"

" _Sure thing, boy-o! Scanning, scanning, scanning… scanning complete! Those Pocket Monsters are known as Luvdisc, the Rendezvous Pokemon! I could use a little rendezvous myself, bzzzt… These little dudes are known for bringing together young lovers. Rumor has it that if a couple spots these guys, they're guaranteed happiness together for the rest of their lives! And according to my digital calendar, today is Valentine's Day, how fitting! So don't hesitate to make that move champ, you might only get one shot, bzzzzzt!"_ Rotom explained.

"Oh, that's right. Today is Valentine's Day. I wouldn't really have a reason to remember…" Lillie said.

" _Well in that case, Lillie, let's give you and Sun one to remember! Goooooood evening, ladies and gents, I'll be your guide this time as today we have two young kids in search of looooove, bzzzzzt! So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show as these two go from friends to lovers!"_ Rotom announced.

"Cut it out, Rotom," Sun grunted as he reached for his flying Pokedex.

"Actually, Sun, that doesn't sound that bad. I mean, it wouldn't have to be weird or anything, because I don't really know if you have a girlfriend or anything like that, but it could be fun. You know, like a friend-date!" Lillie said with a smile.

"You know what, that sounds pretty fun," Sun replied.

" _Thatzzzzz the spirit! Let's get this party started, bzzzzzt! I've got it all planned out, so leave it all to good ol' Rotom. We can go get some ice cream and then go watch the sunset, bzzzzzzt, how's that sound?"_ Rotom said.

"Sounds great!" Lillie happily said. Sun and Lillie started walking down the sidewalk as their first non-official Rotom Dex-arranged friend-date began. As they got closer to the ice cream stand, they noticed a long line that was beginning to form.

"What's all this for?" Sun questioned.

" _Leave it to me, friend-o!"_ Rotom said as he flew up into the air. The line was much longer than Sun and Lillie could have anticipated. Rotom kept soaring to find where the line was headed, and then he found it: There were some special people in town. None other than the Sinnoh Elite Four's own Flint and Aaron were holding a meet-and-greet in Alola.

" _WOWZZZZZERS! According to my scan, these guys are the big cheese, bzzzzt! How nice of them to teach all of these young and aspiring kids how to become great Pokemon trainers!"_ Rotom said as he swooped down to get a closer look, " _But why'd they have to set up so close to the ice cream, bzzzt? We'll have to find another way there."_ Rotom flew back down to Sun and Lillie to tell them the news.

"So, what's the deal, Rotom?" Lillie asked.

" _Well, there's a biiiiig crowd to see Flint and Aaron, two members of Sinnoh's Elite Four, bzzzt!"_

"Wow, really? That's so cool- I mean, so how can we get to where we've got to go?" Sun asked trying to contain his excitement. When Sun was little, he watched a trainer named Lucas take on Sinnoh's Elite Four live on television. It was his first real exposure to Pokemon battling, and without it, who knows if he would have ever had the journey that he did.

" _According to my calculations, we shouldn't have too much trouble getting to that frozen cow juice. Just follow me!"_ Rotom declared. Rotom switched into navigation mode, complete with the annoying GPS voice that almost all cars have, and showed Sun and Lillie their path.

"There's a lot of people here, Lillie. Be careful not to get lost," Sun said in a caring way. Rotom guided Sun and Lillie through the people that were swarming like Durants at a picnic and got them through the crowd. As they bursted through the final group of people, Sun and Lillie made it to the ice cream stand. While there was a bit of a line for ice cream, it was nothing compared to what they had just passed through.

"Well, we made it!" Lillie said as she let out a relieved sigh, "Thanks for your help, Rotom!"

" _Youuuuuuuu got it, cutie, bzzt,"_ Rotom replied. Sun and Lillie stepped into the line and looked at their flavor choices.

"How can there be so many different flavors of ice cream?" Sun wondered.

Lillie started to respond, "It doesn't matter to me. There's only one good flavor anyway and that's-"

"Mint Oreo," Sun and Lillie both said simultaneously.

"Well, look at that. We've got the same favorite cereal and ice cream!" Lillie happily mentioned.

"Guess we've got a lot in common!" Sun said with a smile.

"Next!" The man behind the stand yelled. Sun and Lillie stepped up in line to order their ice cream.

"Two Mint Oreo ice creams, please," Sun requested.

"How cute! A young couple out on Valentine's Day getting the same ice cream. Two Mint Oreos, coming right up!" The man said.

"Oh! Um, we're not a couple or anything," Lillie said in a flustered way to the man as he came back.

"Ah, really? Well that's a shame then. Enjoy your ice cream, as good friends then!" The man happily said as he handed Sun and Lillie their ice cream.

"Thank you," Sun said as he placed the money on the table and received the ice cream.

"Here you go, Lillie," Sun said as he handed Lillie her cone. Lillie took it from his hand and thanked him.

"How about we go sit over there?" Sun said as he pointed to an empty table, "You can go sit. I'm just gonna grab some napkins first."

"Sounds good," Lillie responded as she went over to the table. Sun went over to a stand to pull out some napkins.

" _Well wasn't that neat-o? That man thinks that you two would make a cute couple!"_ Rotom happily said.

"Lillie doesn't seem too happy about it…" Sun mentioned.

" _Ah, that's malarkey! Girls never show their true feelings, bzzzt,"_ Rotom said. Sun headed back to the table with some napkins.

"Having trouble getting that in your mouth?" Sun playfully teased as he handed her a napkin.

"It's hard when the Sun is beating down on it and turning it into a milkshake," Lillie responded.

"I guess your big hat would be useful now, huh?" Sun mentioned.

"I guess so," Lillie blandly responded. After a few minutes, Sun finished up his ice cream as he was eyeing something in the distance.

"Hey, sorry to leave you hanging, but give me just a minute Lillie. I'll be right back," Sun said as he took off.

" _Zzzzzzzzt! Where we headin', pal?"_ Rotom asked.

"You're not going anywhere, trouble. Keep Lillie company," Sun said to Rotom.

" _Understood, sport! #1 wingman, Rotom Dex, now in action, bzzzzt!"_ Rotom said as he headed back to the table, " _So, Lillie, how's your psychopath mom holding up?"_

 **[** _ **Inside the shop**_ **]**

Sun looked in every aisle, nook, and cranny until he found the perfect thing.

"This just might work," Sun said as he picked his desired item.

"Last minute gift for that special someone?" The cashier asked.

"I'd say she's pretty special," Sun responded. The cashier handed Sun his item and he immediately took off.

"Thank you!" Sun said as he ran.

"Ah, young love," the cashier said to herself.

 **[** _ **Back at the table**_ **]**

" _So then I said to the Caterpie, if you're not truly happy in your relationship, it's not worth it, bzzzzt! And that's the story on how I saved a young Caterpie's love life,"_ Rotom said to Lillie.

"Wow, that's crazy," Lillie said as she played with her thumbs.

" _Aww, cheer up young one, Sun will be back soon,"_ Rotom said.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Lillie said as she made her signature pouty face.

" _Speak of the devil, here he is, bzzzzt!"_ Rotom said as he saw Sun approaching.

"Sorry, Lillie," Sun said as he got back, "But I wanted to get you this. I know it's kinda stupid but I don't know…" Lillie took the item from Sun's hands and looked at it.

"Sun, why did you get me something?" Lillie questioned.

"Well, I just wanted to find a way to thank you. For being such an amazing friend," Sun explained. Lillie looked at the item even more.

Sun quickly started backtracking, "If you don't like it-"

"I love it," Lillie said as the Sun began to set. It was a keychain that resembled the amulet that Sun received during his Island Trials.

"That's great to hear," Sun happily responded.

"And I know just where to put it!" Lillie said as she attached it to the back of her bag, "Now wherever I go, you'll always be with me."

" _This is going perfectly, bzzzt,"_ Rotom said as he readied his camera.

"Now I just feel bad that I don't have anything to give you," Lillie mentioned.

"Really, don't worry about it. I'm just happy that I was able to spend today with you," Sun insisted.

"That's it. Sun, close your eyes for a second," Lillie immediately replied. Sun obliged and closed his eyes, his body filled to the brink with anticipation. Lillie leaned over to Sun, placed one hand on his left cheek and swiftly, but passionately, placed a kiss on his right cheek.

 _*Click!*_

Sun and Lillie both blushed immediately, feeling warm and tingly, a feeling that they wanted to last forever.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Sun," Lillie said.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lillie," Sun replied.

 **Author's Notes**

 **Two nights, two chapters, and I've never felt more alive! Don't expect this again, though. I had to make sure that this one got out on Valentine's Day, or else it wouldn't feel right. Even if you guys don't have anyone or anybody special in your lives, I hope you all enjoyed yourselves today. Even if it meant getting comfy with a big bowl of ice cream and watching TV. Because that's what I did. This was probably the most fun I've ever had writing, so I hope you all enjoyed this!**

 **Take care, everyone**

 **Joey :)**


	8. Aether Paradise

"Sun, are you up?" Lillie quietly asked as she tapped Sun's shoulder. She got no response so she tried to wake him again.

"Sun?" Lillie asked, a little less quietly, "Can you hear me? I wanna ask you something." Still getting no reaction, she sat down on Sun's bed to get closer to him. Lillie then put her face up to Sun's and could hear his quiet breathing. She put her hands through his hair, which even though he had got it cut it was still fairly long, and moved it to get a better view of his face.

" _Aww, he looks so innocent… Not cute enough for me to let him be, though,"_ Lillie thought to herself as she lowered her head down to his. Just as her face was no less than an inch apart from his, Lillie saw Sun start to slowly open his eyes. She was quickly caught off guard and backed up, too much though, as she fell down to the floor.

"Lillie? Are you okay?" A tired Sun asked as he offered Lillie his hand to help her up.

"Thanks," Lillie said as Sun helped her off the floor and back onto the edge of his bed, "I just needed to ask you something," Lillie said.

Sun looked over at his clock, and even though his eyes weren't fully open, he was still able to see the time, "Does it have to be at 2:00 in the morning? The Pikipek aren't even chirping yet."

"Sorry, but I've been up all night thinking about it…" Lillie said sounding apologetic.

"No, it's okay. Go ahead," Sun responded.

"Well, I was thinking, that maybe today… we could go to Aether Paradise," Lillie said with a lump in her throat.

"Why do you want to go back there, Lillie?" Sun asked in confusion.

"Well… I feel like now that it's been some time, I'm ready to go back there. I mean, just to check up on things," Lillie rambled.

"Sure. Let's do it," Sun said back immediately.

"Really!? Do you mean it?" Lillie asked with a burst of excitement.

"Why not? If you want to go then let's make it happen. I'm sure that there's some people there that'd be glad to see you again. And I could use the trip, too. It'll all work out," Sun said with a smile.

"Oh, Sun, you're the best!" Lillie happily said as she grabbed Sun and pulled him in for a big hug.

"Let's just try to keep it down," Sun lightheartedly mentioned, "We can check in the morning what time a ship leaves for Aether." Lillie knew that one day she would go back to Aether Paradise, a stronger person, and who better for her to do it with than Sun.

"Um, Lillie. You can let go now," Sun said as he tried to separate himself. Not that Sun disliked being hugged by Lillie, it's just that he could really use some sleep.

"Oh, sorry," Lillie said with a small blush as she finally let go of Sun, "Guess I forgot to let go there." She then walked over to her bed and slipped back under the covers.

"Lillie, I've got something that I want to ask you too," Sun said.

"What is it, Sun?" Lillie asked as she popped her head off of her- or rather Sun's- pillow. Sun wanted to bring up what happened at the end of their Valentine's Day friend-date. He remembered how unreal it felt for one of his wildest dreams to come true; His wild dream of being kissed by Lillie. In that moment, he couldn't move. He felt like he was hit by a Vileplume's Stun Spore. He didn't know what to say, or how to react. Sun just remembered his cheek feeling as warm and blissful as possible.

"So, did you have fun yesterday?" Sun asked with regret as soon as the words exited his mouth.

"Um, yeah, definitely," Lillie responded. When Sun brought up yesterday, she immediately thought of when she kissed him. Lillie didn't want Sun to think too much of it. Or maybe she did. Even Lillie didn't know what to think of it. All she knew was that she enjoyed it. A lot.

"I didn't really have any experience with dates or anything… Not saying that was a date! Because it wasn't… well, maybe it was. But, um, thanks for everything that you did. You made me feel really special," Lillie said in a fluster.

"Don't worry about it. I had fun too," Sun said, "Now we should probably get some sleep. Tomorrow's a big day, Lillie."

"Right," Lillie said as she rolled over in bed, "Good night, Sun."

"See you in the morning, Lillie," Sun replied. Sun put his hands behind his head and let out a yawn. Lillie grabbed the pillow from under her head and stuffed it into her arms. She breathed it in and felt soothed. Sun and Lillie both drifted back to sleep, knowing that an eventful day awaited them both.

 **[** _ **The next morning**_ **]**

"You ready, Lillie?" Sun said as he put on his hat and opened the front door.

"Yeah!" Lillie said as she grabbed her bag, "I'll be there in a sec." Lillie put her backpack on and ran over to Sun.

"Why's your bag look so heavy? Are you bringing some bricks?" Sun joked as he saw that Lillie's bag was in an odd shape.

"Oh! Uh, it's nothing. Just a little lumpy I guess," Lillie said as she tried to make her backpack look more natural.

"All right, let's get this show on the road!" Sun said as he held the door open for Lillie. The two headed out to Hau'oli City, where they would be able to find out when the next ship to Aether Paradise leaves. As they were walking through the city, they enjoyed the relaxing and warm weather that Alola was known for.

"Kanto wasn't always this nice!" Lillie said as she smiled.

"Even though I was young when I lived there, I still remember it pretty well," Sun noted.

"Where did you live in Kanto, Sun?" Lillie asked.

"Pallet Town," Sun replied.

"Oh, that's where Professor Oak's Lab is, right?" Lillie asked.

"Yeah, I never got to meet him. My dad did, though. He said that he was a pretty cool guy," Sun said.

"He's the one who gave me my Squirtle. He also said that he would help look after my Pokemon for me while I was away," Lillie said. After walking through the city, Sun and Lillie had reached the Ferry Terminal. They walked inside and saw a girl standing behind the counter.

"Hi, do you know when the next ferry to Aether Paradise leaves?" Sun asked the girl.

"One second…" The girl said as she checked her computer, "Well, you two are in luck! The next ship leaves in fifteen minutes."

"Great, thank you!" Lillie said as she smiled at the woman.

"You're very welcome!" The woman said back.

"Hey let's go sit over there while we wait," Lillie said as she pointed to a couch. They walked over and sat down.

"Do you think that much has changed over there?" Lillie asked.

"Well, I'd say that Gladion has made some changes since he became the president," Sun said.

"He's the president?" Lillie asked.

"Well, you probably would've been selected, had you not left. So, Gladion won by default," Sun said.

"I'm sure that he's made it a better place!" Lillie said with a big smile. Sun loved how Lillie always had 100% faith in people. Even if it didn't always work out, she always assumed the best from people.

"Yeah, like adding 'Emo Sweater Fridays'," Sun joked. Lillie laughed at his response and looked up at the clock.

"Well, we've got ten more minutes… How about we play a game?" Lillie suggested.

"What do you have in mind?" Sun asked.

"Have you ever played 'Would You Rather'?" Lillie asked.

"Yep," Sun replied.

"All right, I'll go first," Lillie said, "Would you rather… spend one hour in a room full of Ariados and Galvantula, or an entire night in a house haunted by Gengar?"

"The haunted house," Sun immediately answered.

"Why so sudden to answer, Sun? Are you scared of spiders?" Lillie teased.

"No! I just… um," Sun tried to think of something to redeem himself but Lillie stopped him.

"So you're the strongest trainer in Alola, but you won't stand up to a little spider?" Lillie teased more.

"It's not like that, really!" Sun said trying to sound strong.

"Don't worry, Sun. If we see a Spinarak on the way to the boat, I'll protect you!" Lillie said as she playfully nudged Sun's arm.

"Well, Lillie, at least I can cross a bridge," Sun said as a comeback.

"Hey! That was years ago," Lillie said as she sat back up and pouted. As time passed, Lillie and Sun exchanged questions for each other. Lillie looked up at the clock and saw that they had a few minutes until they would have to leave. Realizing that time was running out, she asked a question.

"Hey, Sun, uh… I've got another one," Lillie nervously started off, "Hypothetically, of course, w-would you rather have t-to… kiss me or Mallow." Lillie immediately buried her head in her arms as a sign of regret, wanting to take back her words. Sun, on the other hand, was trying to figure out how to respond to Lillie's question.

" _Should I give her an honest answer? Will she take it the wrong way?"_ Sun thought to himself. He looked over at Lillie who was nervously fidgeting around next to him, awaiting his answer.

"Well, I mean you're, like, my best friend. And I don't really know Mallow that well, but it's not like she's unattractive or anything…" Sun tried to answer without putting too much thought into it, but ultimately ended up making things worse.

" _Oh, great. He thinks Mallow's hot. And I'm just 'the friend'. Whatever, don't take it too seriously, Lillie,"_ The blonde girl thought to herself as she waited for Sun to finish his answer.

"...So, I guess I'd choose you. But, like you said, it's hypothetical. So it doesn't even matter, right?" Sun answered.

"Yeah! It's just made up- I mean, that would never happen anyway," Lillie said trying not to sound too excited. But that was hard for her. After all, she just found out that Sun would "hypothetically" kiss her instead of Mallow. The girl that Lillie felt was ruining her chances with Sun.

" _May I have your attention, please. The ferry to Aether Paradise will be leaving in two minutes. I repeat, the ferry to Aether Paradise will be leaving in two minutes,"_ A voice over the speaker said.

"We should probably get going," Sun said as he stood up and stretched.

"Yeah, let's go," Lillie said as she got up and followed Sun outside.

"All riders of the ferry to Aether Paradise get on board! We're leaving in two minutes!" The captain of the ferry announced. Sun and Lillie walked over to the ferry and got on. Sun crossed his arms and leaned on the railing. He looked into the ocean and saw plenty of Alomomola and Wishiwashi swimming around in the water.

"It feels good getting on the ship with you this time," Sun said as he looked over to Lillie.

"Yeah, I like being with you too," Lillie responded, not fully paying attention to what Sun was saying as she was clearly thinking about something.

"Are you okay?" Sun asked.

"Yeah. It's just that I'm kind of nervous," Lillie replied.

"How come?" Sun asked.

"Well, I guess it's just because it'll feel weird being there. You know, because…" Lillie tried to say before Sun cut her off.

"You don't have to explain yourself, Lillie. I know what you mean," Sun responded.

"You always do," Lillie said as she smiled and looked into the sea. Just as she finished talking, the boat took off for Aether Paradise.

 **[** _ **At Aether Paradise**_ **]**

"Well," Lillie started as her feet stepped on land, "Here we are!" Sun and Lillie looked up at the tall building and stepped inside.

"Hello, do you know where we could find Gladion- I mean the president?" Lillie asked the helper behind the front counter.

"Take the elevator in the center up and he should be there," The lady responded.

"Okay, thank you," Lillie replied. Her and Sun went over to the elevator and took it up. As it started ascending, Sun felt himself get chills down his spine. He vividly remembered when him, Gladion and Hau took the same elevator when they had to save Lillie and Nebby. When the elevator finished rising and they stepped off, they saw plenty of employes and Pokemon, all living peacefully.

"I guess Gladion's got a nice hold on things," Lillie noted.

"You can go home now if you're feeling better, Oddish," Gladion said as he bent down to the small Pokemon.

"Odd!" The Weed Pokemon happily cried as it was pet by Gladion.

"Hey Gladion, what's up?" Sun said as he walked over to the blonde-haired boy.

"Oh, hey Sun. This little dude got all cut up from a bunch of Spearow, so-" Gladion started to say before he noticed who was standing alongside Sun. Sun stepped to the side so that the two siblings could reconnect.

"Lillie!?" Gladion said in surprise as he saw his sister.

"Yep, it's me!" Lillie happily said as she brought her brother in for a hug.

"But, I thought you were in Kanto?" Gladion questioned.

"I was, but I missed everyone," Lilie replied.

"Just tell me that you've stayed out of trouble!" Gladion said, being the overprotective brother that he had always been to Lillie.

"Don't worry, I'm fine! Sun's kept me out of trouble," Lillie responded with a smile.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that," Gladion said in approval. He then looked over at Sun and gave him a look in the eye.

"You better be nice to my sister, you hear me? You know, she really likes you!" Gladion said to Sun.

"U-uh, yeah. Definitely!" Sun responded as he was intimidated by Gladion.

"Gladion! Stop teasing! Mother wouldn't like to hear that," Lillie said as she tried to cover up her face that was as red as a Tamato Berry.

"Hey, I bet that Wicke would love to see you, Lillie," Gladion said to his sister.

"Oh, you're right! Where would she be?" Lillie asked.

"She should be in the basement. C'mon, I'll show you there," Gladion responded.

"Awesome, let's go!" Lillie yelled with excitement as she ran over to the elevator. Sun and Gladion chased after her on their way to the elevator, as she had already used Quick Attack like a Pikachu to get there.

"Quit checking out my sister, Sun," Gladion said to his friend.

"W-what do you mean? I wasn't. I swear!" Sun said as his face turned bright red.

"Relax, man, I'm just messing with you," Gladion said as he gave Sun a friendly pat on the back.

"Ha ha, yeah, I knew that!" Sun said back.

"Going down," Gladion said as he pressed the elevator's button to make it descend. The three arrived on the basement floor and stepped off their ride.

"Follow me," Gladion said as he lead the two into a hallway. The door opened due to its motion-sensing technology and allowed them inside the room.

"Oh, hello President Gladion!" Wicke said as she saw Gladion walk through the door.

"I told you that you could call me Gladion… Anyway, we've got some special guests with us today," Gladion said as he stepped away.

"Hello, Sun! And hello, Miss Lillie!" Wicke said as she ran up to them and hugged them both.

"Hi, Miss Wicke! It's good to see you again," Lillie said as her and Sun were both wrapped in Wicke's arms.

"Did you have a safe trip back? And how is your mother doing?" Wicke asked the blonde-haired girl.

"Everything went smoothly. And mother is doing much better, although she hasn't fully

recovered yet," Lillie explained.

"Well that's good to hear," Wicke responded, "And how have you been, Sun? The last time I saw you, you were tracking down those Ultra Beasts,"

"I'm doing well," Sun replied with a smile.

"Oh, Sun, that reminds me. There's something I need to show you. Follow me," Gladion said as he brought Sun into another room.

"Oh, wait! Before you go, Sun, please take one of these," Wicke said as she handed Sun a malasada. Sun thanked her and followed Gladion into another room.

"Here, Miss Lillie. You should have one as well," Wicke said as she give Lillie a malasada.

"Thank you," Lillie said as she took the Alolan-treat from Wicke. She then took off her backpack and placed it on the table.

"Um, Miss Wicke, there's something I need you to help me with," Lillie said.

"Oh, anything you need. What is it?" Wicke asked.

"Well, I kinda took Sun's diary because I wanted you to see something…" Lillie started off.

"You know that you shouldn't steal!" Wicke told Lillie.

"I know, but… I just found it and started reading it, and now I need to know what something means," Lillie explained.

"Well, what's that thing?" Wicke asked.

Lillie flipped open to a page and pointed to it, "Right here. He wrote down that he thinks I'm 'cute'."

"Oh, well I wouldn't worry about it too much… Oh, wait! Does this mean that our little Lillie has a crush?" Wicke said.

"W-what do you mean?" Lillie asked, sounding defensive.

"Well, the first thing that you pointed out was that he called you 'cute'. And the only reason you would be reading his personal belongings is because you want to know what he thinks of you," Wicke said.

"I… I guess I might," Lillie said as she looked down.

"And that's nothing to be ashamed of. After all, he's your best friend!" Wicke told Lillie with a smile.

"I mean, he's really the only person that I've ever thought of wanting to-" Lillie started to say something but quickly stopped, "But how do I know that I _really_ do like him?"

"Lillie, if I were you, I would ask yourselves these questions: Does he make you smile? Does he make you laugh? Does he make you feel better when you're sad? Does he believe in you? Do you feel special when you're with him?" Wicke explained.

"Well, I mean..." Lillie started to talk but Wicke cut her off.

"You don't have to tell me. You just have to make sure you know for yourself," Wicke told Lillie.

"And how would I know that he doesn't just think of me as a friend?" Lillie asked.

"That shouldn't take too much thought in this case. Think about all of the times that he's put himself in harm's way or done things for you that he hadn't or wouldn't have done for anybody else," Wicke said.

"So do you think I should say something?" Lillie asked.

"Hmm… Maybe you should. But maybe you shouldn't. I guess it would really just depend on if the moment feels right. If Sun ever brings it up, don't be afraid to tell him how you really do feel about him. If you tell him, maybe he'll say the same to you," Wicke said.

"I see. Thank you, Miss Wicke," Lillie responded.

"Don't worry about it, dear. And if you need any more advice, you know who to come to," Wicke said to Lillie with a wink, "And let's not forget to put that diary back in its rightful place, okay?"

 **[** _ **In the other room**_ **]**

"So for the past few months, we've been receiving reports of these strange holes appearing that look like they lead to some other location," Gladion explained as he showed Sun some documents.

"Are they like the ones from the Ultra Beasts?" Sun asked.

"No, these ones are different. While we have limited information on them now, it seems as if they lead to a place called the 'Distortion World'," Gladion said.

"Interesting," Sun responded.

"And since you were so efficient in finding those UBs, we're trusting you with this top-secret information. Be sure to keep an eye out for them, Sun," Gladion said.

"Will do, Gladion," Sun said as they shook hands.


End file.
